"It never ends."
That was Weber State men's basketball coach Randy Rahe's first thought about the Wildcats' road game tonight at UC Santa Barbara following their game Friday night against Utah State.
The Gauchos are just one of many tough teams the Wildcats will face during the non-league portion of WSU's schedule.
"We do this on purpose," Rahe said. "We're going to play the best we can and it's going to be a big challenge. I'm excited to take this team on the road and see what we can do. See if we can hang with a team and challenge them. Games like that are going to make us better."
The Wildcats (0-1) come into tonight's game following the disappointing 66-60 loss to Utah State in the season opener. Although the only time WSU led in the game was following Damian Lillard's layup that gave the 'Cats a 2-0 advantage, WSU fought back from a 15-point deficit in the second half to pull within 60-56 in the final minute.
Coming up short against their in-state rivals have the 'Cats ready to get back on the court.
"I know everybody wants to get back on the court because of what happened (on Friday)," Lillard said. "We felt like we had a good chance to win, and we didn't."
UCSB (1-0) was picked to finish second in the Big West Conference, behind Long Beach State, and comes into tonight's game following the Gauchos' 85-57 win over Cal State Los Angeles on Saturday. Three starters are back from last season's squad, which has the Gauchos expecting a successful season.
"They think this is one of their best teams they've had in seven or eight years," Rahe said. "It's going to be a tough challenge."
Besides facing a tough team, tonight's game will also provide a challenge for WSU, since it will be the 'Cats' first road game. Last season WSU enjoyed playing away from home, being the first team in the history of the Big Sky Conference to go 8-0 on the road in league games.
"I'm excited to see how everybody is going to respond and act on the road, to see if we can do the same thing we do at home," Lillard said. "I expect everybody to bring the same thing they brought here."
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